Nothing Lasts Forever
by VicesVsVirtues
Summary: After Jackson left, how did 100 Monkeys cope?  For some, it may be harder to hide.  How will they deal with his return? ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**AN - So, if you're a 100 Monkeys fan, no doubt you have heard the news about Jackson leaving. The night this was announced I had a dream, and this fic was born. As it stands, it is a one shot, but there may be more to come. I guess it depends if people want to read it or not.**

**I don't claim to know 100 Monkeys or any other real person portrayed in this story. i have met them, but I don't KNOW them. I hope you enjoy it.**

Nothing Lasts Forever:

Its amazing how plans for the future have a bad habit of changing with circumstance. Just a year ago, I'd left university with a degree in History and was planning to go and work in the US in a museum, yet here I am, living in London running my own pub. Don't get me wrong, although it's ridiculously long hours, I love every minute of it. I miss the academic side of stuff, but I am a naturally social person, so this job suits me down the the ground. I sometimes supplement my income by tutoring some of the local kids in History, especially when they have exams coming up. Many parents have suggested I go into teaching, but I politely tell them it's not for me. One of the draws of working in the pub trade... very few kids.

The long hours is a major drawback, especially when it comes to having or maintaining a social life. The majority of my friends understand and are often found propping up the bar until the early hours. Particularly on a Friday or Saturday evening when the club next door has on a live band. I managed to wangle my late licence to fit in with them. Afterall, where better to get ready for a night out gigging or clubbing than in a pub right next door that sells drinks at at least half the price? I also managed to grab a lot of "social media" time whilst sat in the office or at the end of the bar on a quiet night.

I was sat in that very spot on a quiet Thursday evening, chatting to friends around the world, when the door to the pub open and I nearly fell off my barstool.

*NLF*

It was a normal day, a bit quiet perhaps, but that tended to happen mid month. Everyone waiting for payday and Thursday nights are notoriously quiet in the trade. After sending my single member of staff home, I made myself and my iPad comfy at then end of the bar. I liked being visible to the customers. It made them feel as if they knew me and even if i was busy, I liked to make sure I showed my face regularly. When I worked the pub trade years previously, there was nothing worse than having a manager sitting on their arses up in the flat above the pub, not interacting with the people that kept their establishment open.

Just as I was having a blast of Angry Birds, the door swung open allowing the air conditioning escape into the blazing heat outside. I jumped up and made my way behind the huge solid oak bar to wait for a drinks order. As I was putting my iPad out of harm's way with the glasses, an American voice spoke out.

"Five pints of beer please." I was sure I recognised the voice. I was positive I did... but it couldn't be. I would have heard if he was in the country. Wouldn't I? I turned round and my thoughts were confirmed.

"Sure." I managed to sound normal even though I was screaming like a teenager inside my own head. "Take a seat and I'll bring them over." I indicated a group of tables behind him where the rest of his friends _bandmates_ I thought to myself, were sat. I quickly poured the drinks and carried them over on a tray. Ben handed me his credit card to place behind the bar as "we're staying a while". I slotted it behind the till and grabbed my iPad to send off a tweet.

"_HOW the FUCK did I NOT know 100 Monkeys were in the UK?" _I knew I'd been out of the loop a while, but surely I would have heard about that. I decided to grab my cigarettes and head outside to have a smoke while it was still quiet. My Twitter was going crazy with people telling me that the band was in the UK shooting a new video. How could I be so blissfully unaware? I finished my cigarette and went back inside.

I had been a fan of 100 Monkeys for almost five years, and three years previously, I'd managed to get to see them live. Shortly after that, the monkeyverse was flipped on it's axis. Two of the members left as 'active members' to concentrate on other commitments. It came as a shock to most fans, but not much of a surprise. Personal lives and things going on outside the band were brought to the attention of the fans and many of them saw these other things as a negative, almost as if the band were betraying them. What the fuck ever. People needed to get over themselves.

"I recognise you from somewhere." I glanced up and was trapped by Will's light eyes as he stood opposite me, a tray of empty glasses on the bar net to him.

"I'm sure you say that to all the girls." I grinned. "more of the same?" I indicated the glasses.

"Please, with whiskey chasers." I pulled a bottle of Jameson's off the optic and began pouring shots. "You really do look familiar." I could feel him looking at me while I worked. I placed the whiskey on the tray and began to pour the lager.

"Sure. In your line of work, you must meet hundreds of girls a week." He cocked his head to one side. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm trying to picture you in bunny ears and whiskers." My heart skipped about three beats, never mind just the one. "It is you isn't it?" _Shit!_

"Hey." I couldn't help but think back to my first 100 Monkeys show...

*NLF*

Things had been going well. Me and my friend Gwen had planned a major road trip to catch as many of the shows as possible. We even traipsed over to France and Holland and caught the shows there seeing as we had splashed out on the VIP ticket. The Zookeeper. We'd worked hard, could afford it and got some fantastic gifts with is, so why not?

With the tickets, we got three meet and greets each so in total we had six as we were each others plus one which was cool, but no doubt by the time we got to the pub where the band were hosting their "End of Tour Party" they were a bit fed up of our faces. We had decided to dress up (as you do!) as our own take on the playboy bunny. Neither of us went the whole hog with the bunny outfit. I wore black denim shorts with black woolly tights (it was December), my boots and a black tee plus bunny ears with eyeliner whiskers. Gwen had the same ears and whiskers but wore her black leggings with navy knee high converse. We had, at a previous meet and greet, given them a gift of of a handmade book of stories and photographs based on their music which they seemed excited about. With Gwen being a photography student at the time, she used it as a project for her course, and we got to give the guys something personal. I tinkered about and ended up writing a little poem for each song and photo and we put them all together in a book that Gwen had hand made.

The Zookeeper thing was just some get together in a pub near the venue. A bit of a buffet had been laid on, but everyone was mingling with the band just chatting or having their photos taken. Me and Gwen hung back a little having a couple of shots and chatting to Lani who was keeping an ever watchful eye on things. Eventually, Ben Johnson approached us and complimented our outfits. One by one, we had a quick chat with each of the guys, had a photo taken and then ate some food before the band left for their sound check.

Gwen and I had saved our final meet and greet for the final show of the tour (hence the costumes) so we stood in line and waited our turn. As the venue became a club on a Friday night, everything had been put through an hour so everything was rushed. We literally went in, had a photo taken then left. We managed to get Lani and Will in our group photo. I'd managed to get myself between Jackson and Will as I had wanted while Gwen was in the middle of a Ben sandwich and grinning from ear to ear.

That night, the atmosphere was electric. The crowd may not have been at full capacity, but we absolutely smashed it, and on occasion drown the band out. When Will came on stage for the first and only time they performed "the Sound" in Europe, I honestly thought the roof was going to collapse.

When that show finished, there were tears, laughter and firm friendships. It was a week (or longer for some) to remember and had brought so many of us closer.

*NLF*

I was brought back to the present day by Will waving his hands in front of my face.

"Sorry, I was miles away."

"That was obvious." Will smiled softly. "Weren't you a big Jackson fan?" I felt my face heat up at that question causing him to grin. "Yeah, thought so."

"Hey, you're in my pub. I can kick you out." I teased him.

"Your pub? Awesome." He eyed up the interior. "I'll have to remember that for future reference." He picked up the tray of drinks and went back to join the rest of the band. Then I remembered slipping over on a wet floor in front of him and Jackson. Time to hide again. This time I went out into the back room that wasn't open and tried not to hyperventilate. The cool air was working it's magic, until...

"Wow! this room is amazing!" Will had let himself behind the bar and had followed me through.

"Hey, get out of here. This area is for staff only." I stood up to push him back out into the public bar but he gently grabbed my wrists.

"Seriously, this place is beautiful." He suddenly sounded very business like. "I think it could work for a video." Wait...what? He let go of my arms and began to walk around the room, mumbling to himself.

"Will, can you please go back through to the other room. I need to be with the punters before they rob me blind." Without a word, he walked straight past me and began talking to the band in fierce whispers. I simply stared before shaking my head before beginning to get ready for shut down. The place was dead, it was late and I still wasn't over the shock of my favourite band being in MY pub.

"Hey, can I add a bottle of whiskey to my bill and settle it?" Ben was stood on the other side of the bar, a haunted look in his usually bright eyes.

"I'll settle the tab, but the whiskey's on me." I told him, eliciting a small smile from him. I handed him his card and the large bottle of Jameson.

"Thanks, this means a lot."

"You look like you need it." I was being honest. he looked ready to collapse in a heap. Had done for a while from the photos I had seen online.

"You're not wrong. Thanks." He turned round and rejoined the rest of the guys. They all gave me a smile and a wave and left the pub. I finished up cleaning, took the tills into the office to cash up then trudged up the stair to my flat to crash out.

*NLF*

Friday was delivery day. I woke up at six am to meet the draymen before sorting out the cellar so myself and the staff could actually find stuff. I'd been working for almost three hours when my first member of staff showed up. Casey had been at the pub almost as long as I had, and had become my right arm. So much so that I was putting her forward for the training course to become a deputy manager. After a quick chat, she headed into the bar to set up for opening while I sat in the kitchen waiting for the breakfast orders to start coming in.

Just as I was sending the first batch of meals up in the dumb waiter to Casey, the phone rang in the office.

"The Bridge, Zoe speaking."

"So, that's your name." An American voice laughed in my ear. "It's Will." Will? Why the hell was he phoning the pub.

"Er... hi."

"Don't sound so scared. I need a favour, and am willing to pay for the privilege." I was too shocked to be insulted at that.

"You're not putting me at ease here." He burst out laughing at the indignation in my voice.

"I didn't mean it like that. Jeez, I'm trying to make you a business offer here."

"Wait, it's not for a porn film, is it?" The words left my mouth before I could think to censor them, and Will was snorting before I could process that I'd said it.

"No, nothing like that, either. I would like to hire the pub for a day. It would look great in the new music video." Colour me fucking shocked.

"Say again?" Before he could answer, I told him to phone back later as food orders were coming in and I needed to go and cook. I didn't catch his answer as I hung up and ran into the kitchen.

All thoughts of 100 Monkeys went out of my mind as business steadily picked up, leaving me no time to do anything other than cook or serve drinks. In, what felt like, a blink of an eye, it was the end of lunch and I could finally shut the kitchen and head into the office to do the mid day cash check before heading out to do the banking.

I had just finished up and was bagging the previous day's takings when Casey buzzed down on the intercom.

"There a really cute American guy asking to speak to you." Jesus Christ. He was a persistent fucker.

"Tell him to wait there, I'm on my way out to do the banking." I told her with a sigh. "I need to run up and get changed first." There was no way I was walking down the street in my whites. I ran up to the bar, told Will (of course it was him) to give me five minutes before running up to the flat to change my clothes. Leggings, boots and a shirt long enough to cover my backside later, I was back in the bar with a bag full of cash and banking book.

"I tried to phone, but there was no answer." He finished his drink and passed the empty glass to Casey who was watching us with eagle eyes whilst pretending to look busy.

"Well, it's been a bit busy to sit down and have a chat." I shouldn't have snapped, but this whole situation had thrown me.

"That's why I decided to come down. I had some free time, and really want to get this sorted out as soon as possible."

"Can it wait for about half an hour? I need to go to the post office to get the banking done, then I'm free for an hour." He stood up and pulled his jacket on.

"I'm capable of walking and talking at the same time." I grabbed my own jacket, rolled my eyes at Casey and led Will outside. "I like your barmaid. Very observant."

"Shut up, and talk."

"Sorry?" He looked at me, "I don't think I can enact a paradox."

"You know what I meant. What's your business proposal and why my pub?"

"Why not your pub?" I had no response. "Its a great space and I think it would look great in the band's new video. We could get a bunch of people in and play a short, intimate show and get great footage." I thought about it, could I justify closing the pub for a whole day?

"We could do it on a Sunday when you don't normally open so you don't lose any of your regular customers, and possibly make you extra money in the process." Could this guy read my mind? "You'd be doing us a favour. Just think about it and get back to me." He held the door of the post office open for me before handing me a business card.

"I'd need to speak to the brewery because of the live music, but I can find that out this afternoon for you. Why are you already in the country if you don't have somewhere to shoot a video?" We joined the end of the queue while we talked.

"We were out scouting for locations when we walked into your place for a drink. The guys and Lani were getting pissed because we couldn't find anywhere. Then I saw the room you were hiding in."

"I wasn't hiding!" I spoke a little too loudly causing people to give us strange looks. "I just needed a little space. it's not every day your favourite band turns up at your place of work."

"I guess not." I was called to the counter, payed in the banking and walked with Will back outside. "Will you think about it at least?"

"I promise. I'll contact the brewery and find out if it's possible." He walked me back to the pub where he'd left his hire car.

"Thanks." He cocked his head as he looked at me. "You looked great in that bunny outfit." I was NEVER going to live that down.

"Thanks... I think." He laughed.

"Believe me, it's a compliment. The guys spoke about you a lot after the tour ended. But I have to say, as good as you looked, you look better in everyday clothes." He gave me a kiss on the cheek. "We'll probably be in for a drink tonight." He climbed into the car and pulled away. What the fuck was going on here?

*NLF*

Gwen arrived within an hour of me sending her a frantic text.

"What did the brewery say?" Was her greeting as she joined me in the office.

"They haven't got a problem with it. We're not in a highly residential area and it would bring in extra revenue."

"But...?" She knew me too well.

"It's going to be a bit weird isn't it. I mean, without Jerad and Jackson... I guess I'm scared I won't like the music."

"You sap! Just say yes, revel in it, take the extra cash and have a great time." She wanted to say more yet was holding herself back. I gave her a look that clearly said "spit it out!" She cleared her throat, looked a little shifty then spoke. "Well, maybe I can get chatting to Ben... and from the sounds of it, Will wants to see you more."

"Will was simply doing his job as a director. Scouting locations." Gwen was very unladylike when she snorted. "Plus, if they want a decent crowd, this Sunday wouldn't work and I'm sure they all need to get back to the US."

"Oh please. You know for sure if they tweet about doing it here, there will be a queue at least a mile long on Sunday morning outside your door." She was right. 100 Monkeys fans were rabid. Not so much now that Jackson had left, but they knew how to mobilise... and fast. "I see that look in your eyes, you're going to do it aren't you?" I nodded.

"I am." I picked up the phone and dialled Will's number, reading it off the card he'd given me. He sounded really excited that they had the go ahead. Lani was going to send out a tweet aimed at any fans based in the UK. I told him I had contacts with a few fanpages that I could talk to that would really get the word out. By the end of the call, I was feeling confident we'd get a decent sized crowd for the guys within the next three days.

Gwen hung around for the rest of the evening after hearing Will tell me that he and the guys would probably be in for a few drinks at some point. She hovered at the end of the bar like a bad smell. She mingled with the regulars who knew her almost as well as they knew me. The weekly pub quiz was just about to start when the band walked in causing the whole clientele to rubberneck in their direction.

"Eyes on the prize people!" I called out, reminding them of the eight pints that were at stake. Immediately heads were aimed at the answer sheets on the tables in front of them. Grinning, Will came over to the bar.

"That was just like in the movies. Never had that happen before." He flashed his cheeky smile at Gwen, whose eyes, along with Casey's were locked on Ben G. This could be interesting...

"Have you considered that because you and the band are ridiculously pretty, that everyone stops and stares." I mentally facepalmed myself for saying that out loud. Gwen laughed out loud while Will just looked at me before ordering a round from Casey. Ben G waltzed over to me.

"I just want to say thanks for helping us out with a video. I hear people are already making plans to be here." Again his eyes didn't look as full of life as in the past.

"It's my pleasure. I'm looking forward to it, so are a lot of the Brit fans. It's like that December all over again." I smiled at him to hide the fact that I was lying. It wasn't like that December at all, but the fans were excited. I was just lucky I had such a large flat upstairs. Six people already had called dibs on a room.

"I just hope we live up to it for you all." A hint of his well known smile returned for a while. "Can we have a tab again?" He handed me his card which I tucked behind the till letting Casey know.

"Hey, Zoe. Would it be OK if I go into the other room with my camera to check out the lighting?" Will asked as Ben went to join the others. Over Will's shoulder, I saw Lani give me a small smile.

"Sure, I'll take you through, show you where the lights are and what not." I let him in behind the bar and led him through to the other room. I pointed out the switches and dimmers for all the lights, including those behind the bar. He hoisted his camera up onto his shoulder and began walking round filming nothing. I left him to it and went back to help Casey in the public lounge.

The quiz was in full swing, so it was quiet. I found Casey and Gwen sat at the end of the bar, heads together chatting about the perfection that was Ben G. He must have known they were talking about him as every now and then he would lookup from the answer sheet they had and smile at them.

"You two are like a pair of pre pubescent school girls." I teased as I poured myself a drink. I had a feeling alcoholic lubrication is going to be needed. I decided to ignore my friends' snickering so I sat at the other end of the bar and chatted to some of the after work crowd. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Ben approach the bar for a refill. Gwen suddenly sat up straighter as Ben began chatting to her and Casey while the quiz took a quick break before finding out who had won. Ben seemed happy enough, in his element even. Johnson walked over to help him with the drinks and the four of them chatted. I made my way behind the bar to help out, not really wanting to interrupt the flow of conversation with a fifth-wheel, so to speak.

After the quiz had finished, complete with grumblings about the "Americans" winning, the regulars started to filter out to go home after a long day's working and the pub quietened down. Casey was making the rounds collecting the empties while I went down to the office to do a safe check and send off the food order. I'd only been there for about five minutes when Gwen came down to join me.

"Why is Ben better looking than I remember?" She flopped into the spare chair in my tiny office.

"Don't you think he looks a bit... off?" I blurted out. She considered it for a moment, then shrugged and offered me a half smile.

"Even if he does, I've always had a knack for fixing people."

"Oh, shut up. You know what happened the last time." She rolled her eyes, "either way, doesn't matter. You've got competition."

"Do NOT mention that... utter lapse in judgement to me ever again." I burst out laughing. "Plus, a little competition can be healthy now and then." I pitied poor Casey. If I knew my best friend, she would be relentless in her pursuit. "Anyway, what about you and Wilhelmina out there? _Oh, I'll show you where the lights are... _Yeah, so you could turn 'em off while he turned yo-."

"Shut the fuck up." It was her turn to laugh out loud.

"Oh come on! The last time I saw that much chemistry was in year 9."

"You bunked off most of year 9, so you have no idea what you're on about." I yelped as she slapped my arm.

"Methinks the lady." She pretended to cough. "Doth protest too much."

"Oh shut up and go get bladdered." I pushed her out of the door. "I have a kitchen to scrub."

"I love you Rock n Roll." I watched her enviously slender form climb the stairs. I walked into the kitchen that I had been forced to abandon when Will showed up. It wasn't too bad and wouldn't take me too long.

"Zoe!" Jesus Christ, how did he do it? All I did was think about him showing you earlier in the day and he appears.

"In the kitchen." I heard his footsteps get louder as he walked down the stairs. I finished filling the dishwasher and flicked it on before sanitising the work surfaces.

"Hey, I've finished in the back room. "It's perfect, but I will have to bring in a few extra lights if that's OK."

"Fine with me. I've put the word out to people about the 'show' and from what have seen, at least thirty people have already planned to be here.

"That's awesome. You have done so much for the band, and not just with this." I looked at him strangely. "I did some research on you this morning." Research? What fucking research?

"Uhm... I suddenly feel a little scared of you." I grabbed the bucket and dropped it into the sink to fill with hot water. I was sorely tempted to threaten him with the mop that was clutched in my hand.

"No need. Well, I know we're friends on Facebook, you follow me on Twitter, but other than that, you have been a constant force in the Monkey fandom." If that's all he found out, I was going to be fine. I just hope he didn't go looking too closely.

"Well, they deserved, and still do, the support." I pushed him out of the kitchen so I could mop the floor. "So, do you need to move anything around the room for Sunday?"

"I don't think so, but that may change once we get all their gear in there." I heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Zo! Get your arse upstairs to your adoring fans. Also, Ben wants to know where Wilhemi- oh, hey." Gwen blushed as she spotted Will stood next to me. I felt her eye scrutinising us, but as I had a mop in my hand and the floor was wet, she couldn't read anything into it.

"Yeah, I'm done down here. I just need to wash my hands and I'll be up." Gwen simply winked at me and went backup to the bar.

"What was that all about?" Will asked me.

"I wouldn't have a clue." I put everything away and went back upstairs. I was half way up when Casey called down asking if I could change a barrel of lager. I turned round and almost fell down the stairs. Will managed to catch me and prevent me giving myself a black eye on the bannister. "Sorry, and thanks for the save."

"Any time." He squeezed past me and went up to the bar. I shook my head and went into the cellar to deal with changing the barrel.

When I finally emerged into the lounge, the band, Casey, Gwen and Will we all sat round a table screaming with laughter. Smiling, I poured myself a drink and caught up with Twitter and Facebook.

"Hey. Where have you been hiding?" Ben slurred at me, a goofy grin on his face.

"I've been working, but it's all done for the night."

"So, why don't you come and join in with the fun?" He indicated the group behind him as he lowered himself onto a barstool.

"I'll be over in a bit, just catching up on stuff for the weekend. I need to know how many people are coming, especially ones who want to stay here."

"Thanks again for doing that." I waved away his thanks. "No, seriously. It's been tough for the last couple of years." there was the sadness again.

"Change is hard to deal with, but you've all dealt with it really well. Well, at least that's how it's looked to the fans."

"There's been moments, but we've pulled through it all and we never would have if there weren't fans to perform for." I poured him a drink sensing he needed it. I didn't want to say anything, it seemed as if he really needed to say it, and I was the person that he wanted to hear it for some reason. "I think this weekend is going to be a bit of a turning point for us. The 'show' and the new video involving the fans."

I'm sure it'll work out just right. Can I ask a favour though?" He nodded. I wasn't sure how to phrase it, so I went with blunt. "Don't play Orson Brawl. Any other song, just not that one. Please." A look of hurt flashed across his eyes. "I know it's a lot to ask with it being such a huge crowdpleaser, but I know the fans." He sat on a bar stool,Will and Gwen moved away,giving us some semblance of privacy.

"I have to admit, there are certain songs I don't feel right performing anymore. It was OK when Jay missed a show here and there, but it's different now." I placed a shot of whiskey in front of him.

"I can't imagine that, but as a fan, I just wanted to give you a bit of advice. The new material is working for you, so you can afford to let some songs get left behind the wayside a little." I looked up at his face having not being able to say any of that looking him in the eye. I was shocked and saddened to see tears in his eyes. He was seriously struggling to hold it together. "Come with me." I walked through to the back room. "You look like you needed a little privacy." We sat down at a table.

"Thanks." He knocked back his drink. I stood up and grabbed a fresh bottle and placed it in front of him.

"Am I right in thinking you've not dealt with the 'split'?" He didn't need to answer. "That's really not right. Not healthy. Sorry to say, but you look like shit."

"I know. I just thought if I didn't think or talk about it, it would go away."

"Yeah, that's working well for you." I watched him pour himself another drink. "Have you spoken to Jerad or Jackson at all since they left?"

"Now and then, but nothing like before." His voice was thickening as he fought to keep his emotions in check. It broke my heart. there was nothing worse than seeing a grown man cry, especially one that was always so positive like Ben used to be.

"It never was going to be the same, even if they had stayed. With everything going on, change was inevitable, but surely things didn't end on that sour a note?" He didn't answer me, which told me everything. "Can it be resolved?"

"Honest answer? I have no idea." The tears were rolling down his face freely now. I didn't know what to do or say to him,so I simply said nothing. I noticed his hand was shaking slightly as he poured another shot.

"Do you want it to be?" As he thought about it, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Will and Johnson both indicated to me not to say anything. It was almost as if they had been waiting for this breakdown.

"Yes, but it's never going to be the same." He took a deep breath. "I miss my best friend." He finally broke and began to sob. That was when Will and Johnson made their presence known. I left the three of them talking and went back into the lounge. I needed a fucking drink.

*NLF*

**Any chance of a review?**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The vision of Ben sobbing his heart out as his two friends held him stayed with me for the couple of days that led up to the video shoot. I didn't do well with people crying, but when it was a grown man... I was a goner.

When the three of them emerged from the room a while later, Ben had looked a little better and Johnson was tapping away on his phone like a demon. I only hoped he was giving Jackson an earful. I may have been a Jackson fan, but I was under no illusion that he needed to remember where it all began. I just hoped that things would be on their way to getting sorted soon. If the fans got wind of them having issues like this, many more would walk away from the monkey fandom as they had done when the split was initially announced.

The pub was it's usual busy self as I waited for Sunday to creep upon me. On the Friday, friends from around the country started to arrive. A few had even flown in from Europe for the weekend. I had been roped into laying on a buffet by Casey, so I had that to organise.

Gwen hovered around like a bad smell whenever she wasn't working. She had spoke to Lani a couple of times, and had managed to wangle her way in to being official photographer for the day. This was great news, but she was driving me mad flitting around the room like an overgrown bumblebee. She even had the stripy tights. I tried to ignore her while I got on with my everyday work, but it was hard when all I heard was "Ben this... Ben that." It was worse when Casey was working. The pair of them would extol his virtues until my ears were threatening to bleed.

When they sensed I was fed up with all things Ben Graupner, the pair of them would gang up on me and start teasing me about Will. I spent a lot of time those few days rolling my eyes. What made it worse was them telling friends about him 'wanting me' as they arrived for the weekend. By the time Saturday evening rolled around, I had about nine people telling me they couldn't wait to see how Will acted around me the next day.

It was... to say the least, quite embarrassing. Still, not much I could do about it, so I ignored the idiots - namely Gwen and Casey, who were watching me more than carefully - and kept my eyes on my business as the boys stepped through the door. _Fuck.. My...Life! _There were catcalls as Will came straight over to me, beaming. I kicked Casey as she elbowed me in the back, and she limped off, pouting and calling Gwen to help out and get some ice. I distinctly heard a 'no, I'm watching the show' as she limped behind the bar alone.

"Hey Zoe." Will sat himself on the barstool next to mine. I glanced over his shoulder at Ben who looked much better as he flashed me a bright smile as he sat with the rest of the guys.

"How's it going?" I walked behind the bar to pour a round of drinks. I could feel every set of eyes watching us and it made me feel like a side show freak.

"Awkwardly." He smirked, "Why the hell is everybody staring at us?"

"Gossip mongers 1 and 2 over there can't keep their mouths shut." He turned to look at Gwen and Casey, catching them making kissy lips at me.

"Why are they doing that?" There was no way on earth that I was going to tell him.

"No idea." I passed over the tray of drinks and moved along the bar to the next customer. Once I had finished serving everyone waiting, I settled back in my seat to get some paperwork done. I had written about three words when Ben joined me.

"Can I have a word?" His voice was quiet.

"Sure." I led him through to the back room. "What's wrong?" My words were swallowed up by him enveloping me into a hug. "What was that for?" I asked when he finally let me go.

"Thank you..." I smiled at the embarrassment in his voice. "For the other night. I wanted to apologise for breaking down on you, a complete stranger."

"Well, not a complete stranger now, am I?" I smiled again as he wrinkled his nose and grinned even brighter, his face reddening.

"Well, that's kinda the other thing that I wanted to talk to you about."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you and Will-"

"Oh, shut up and leave the room." I tried to push him towards the door leading to the . "Seriously, if anyone else even suggests that either Will or I have a thing for each other I might have to take their eyes out with a rusty spoon like they do in that film." I got even more pissed off at him laughing at me.

"Let me just say something, he -" I cut him off.

"I mean it Benjamin Orion Graupner. I am not above actual bodily harm."

"He's right, you're adorable when you're embarrassed." I glared at him. "and pissed, but that's besides the point. Why are you fighting what is obvious to everyone else?"

"I'm not fighting anything. Now let me go do my job." He grabbed hold of my wrist to stop me storming away.

"You are, but I haven't finished thanking you anyway. Because of you, Johnson called Jay and he promised to meet up to talk."

"I'm pleased. I hope you can get the air clear between you. No doubt he was hurting as much as you were, even with his new responsibilities."

"Well, he's going to come and see me soon so we can talk." I couldn't help but smile at the excitement in his eyes. We walked back to the other room. "And give Will a chance, he's a good guy." he managed to get in one last comment, smirking as he dodged the beer mats that I frisbeed in his direction.

Saturday nights in the pub were usually quiet as many of the offices surrounding it were closed at the weekends, but tonight the place was full of voices and music. The band were at ease with the amount of fans that had turned up, mingling amongst them chatting and joking. There was an air of discomfort at the absense of Jerad and Jackson. Although it had been long enough that the fans were pretty settled with the new members, seeing them interacting, it was obvious that the band dynamic had changed a lot. There was a spark missing, that the two guys had provided that no one could imitate.

"You looked shattered." Gwen sidled up to me, yet another empty glass in her hand.

"Thanks, love you too." I was worn out and beginning to see double from the paperwork. Usually I was able to get it all done in a couple of hours sitting in a quiet corner, but tonight was different. People constantly came and sat with me for a quick chat before moving on.

"You know what I mean. Go get yourself up to bed, there's only an hour left, Casey can lock up. I'll help her out, then come up with the rest of the house guests." I gave her a hug before standing up and gathering the paperwork into my arms.

"I knew there was a reason I kept you around." I went down to my office, dumped the stuff on my desk, grabbed my phone and cigarettes before going back up into the lounge. I poured myself a large glass of wine to carry up. Giving Casey my card to run it through, I remembered my ipad was behind the bar so, without thinking, I leaned over to grab it. Gwen pierced the air with an ear splitting wolf whistle that caused everyone to look at me. "Gwen, do you want to sleep in the cellar?" She simply winked at me before looking at Will who was watching the both of us with a smile on his face.

"You'd never do that to me and you know it." I hated my best friend sometimes. Especially when she was right.

"Whatever. I'm going to bed. Night everyone." A chorus followed me out of the door where I made my way up to my flat.

*NLF*

One of the plus sides to running a pub is the accommodation. The flats above them nearly always huge with loads of bedrooms. I came from a huge family who were always getting rid of stuff, so all the rooms in my flat had at least a bed and somewhere to put clothes. Nothing matched as all my cousins had different tastes, but it was better than chucking someone into an empty room with a sleeping bag. I even had all sorts of mismatched bedding and blankets for everyone. Most of them were sharing rooms, so only three of the six were being used. I'd set aside one so that everyone could keep their bags in it if they wanted, the other two had been claimed a while ago by both Gwen and Casey if ever they needed somewhere to sleep off a drunken stupor, which happened more often than not. They even kept clothes in them and a toothbrush in my bathroom.

Once I'd got into the flat, I pottered around, flicking on lamps in the rooms so that no one would have to stumble around in the dark once I'd gone to bed. both Gwen and Casey had a spare key so I didn't have to keep the front door unlocked. I stumbled into the bathroom to wash and change into my PJs and pulled on my huge fluffy men's robe and went to sit in the living room to read while I drank my glass of wine.

Just as I was getting to the "who done it" bit of my book, I heard the front door click shut.

"That you Smell?" I called out to Gwen, as I stood to go and put my empty glass in the kitchen.

"I know I've not been near water since this morning, but I wouldn't say I smell." I nearly jumped a mile in the air at the sound of Will's voice.

"What the hell are you doing up here?" I didn't mean to snap, but I was going to gut someone for giving out my key.

"You left this downstairs." He held out my phone. "I was the only one able to manage the stairs." As soon as I took my phone of him, he began to back away, a touch of fear in his eyes. "I'll... er... leave you to it. Sorry but Casey thought you'd be asleep. I was just going to put it in the living room then go back down." I instantly felt bad for practically biting his head off.

"I'm sorry, and thanks. I just get wary because so many people know where I live already, you know." I actually shuddered at that fact.

"I couldn't imagine how that feels. Especially when alcohol's involved." If only he knew.

"Yeah, not great. So, talking of alcohol, how come you're still sober?" I walked back into the living room, allowing him to follow me.

"Unlike the band, I don't work so well still drunk from the night before. Filming's not like being on stage." He grinned at me, hovering in the doorway. I indicated for him to sit down.

"I guess I didn't think of that. Must be pretty boring for you down there then."

"No, I love being the sober one, especially with a camera pone." I burst out laughing at the smug sound to his voice.

"I bet you have a fair few dodgy shots from the years." I picked up my cigarettes for something to do to ease the nerves I was feeling. All I could hear was Gwen's voice whispering to me. Shutting the sound out, I turned to Will to find that he was fast asleep in the armchair. Smiling, I covered him with a blanket and went off to bed myself. I was worried about the state of the pub, but was too tired to go down and check.

*NLF*

You know that feeling when you wake up feeling like something momentous was going to happen that day? No,me either, but I did have a funny feeling when I got out of bed. I couldn't shake it. I looked in on everyone to check they had made it up the stairs. Everyone was accounted for thankfully. I walked along the corridor towards the bathroom when I heard a deep thud.

I ran into the front room and found Will on his arse rubbing his head. Stifling a laugh I carried on to the bathroom before I wet myself. I had a quick shower before pulling my robe back on and tying it tightly.

"Any chance of a coffee?" Will appeared in the kitchen as I flicked the kettle on. Glancing at him, I could see he hadn't slept very well. The bleary eyes and rumpled clothes gave that away along with the fact that he was walking as if he was about ninety.

"Sure, take a seat, I'll bring it through." I looked up at the clock to see that as usual, I was up before six am. The life of a pub landlady fucked up your body clock. I made two cups of coffee and carried them in the front room where Will was stretching out the kinks. I held out the coffee to him.

"Oh, thanks." I sat on the chair that he had slept on. He took a sip and murmured in appreciation before suddenly looking scared.

"Hey, I make fucking amazing coffee." He shook his head, causing his dark blond almost-fro to hypnotise me as the curls bounced around.

"It's not that. The band were waiting for me to go back down before we headed back to the hotel to prep for today. Shit!" _Shit indeed!_ I could just hear the teasing now. I just hoped that both Casey and Gwen saw Will sleeping in the chair when they came up.

"Oh, fun times. I better go and get ready, I bet the bar is in a fucking state." I drained my cup.

"I'll come and help you before heading out to grab my gear." I left him in the sitting room while I went to get dressed. I didn't have time to dry my hair, so I just pulled it up into a messy knot. Jeans, Chucks and a 100 Monkeys tank were all I needed today. I slicked on a bit of mascara and lip gloss, took a deep breath as I was suddenly feeling a little nervous and went to collect Will before going down to the pub.

I nearly had a heart attack when I walked into the lounge. There were bodies everywhere. Thankfully, Gwen and Casey had cleared away the majority of the glasses and the bar was spotless. But, the band and a few of the girls from Europe were sprawled out asleep on chairs and the floor. I stopped Will from shaking Johnson awake and went to the stereo system behind the bar. I grabbed a cd, put it in, cranked the volume and hit play.

"_I will kill you in your sleep..." _Reverberated around the room cause every single person to jump.

"What the fuck!" Ben shouted over the music. I stopped it and even my ears were ringing in the silence. "Seriously, why would you do that at this ungodly hour?" I burst out laughing, I just couldn't help it.

"Dude. You are in MY pub, drooling over the upholstery. I can wake you up anyway I want. Besides, you have a busy day today."

"You could have just shaken us awake." he grumbled, pulling himself to his feet, towering over me.

"Yeah, I could have, but this way was more fun." I grinned at him before gathering the few empties on the table.

"Admit it, you'd do the same." Will stuck up for me. "In fact, I think you did once back in school." Ben had the good grace to look embarrassed, before grinning slyly.

"Yeah, you got me there. But onto bigger and better things. Where did you get to last night? You were only supposed to deliver the phone." Will began to rub the back of his head as if he were nervous. I hid behind the bar as much as I could in the hopes that Ben wouldn't turn on me.

"I took the phone up then crashed out in a chair." If I hadn't have been there, I wouldn't have believed Will from the tone of his voice. He sounded shifty and as if he was hiding something.

"Whatever dude. You look like you haven't slept a wink... if you know what I mean." Ben flashed his trademark grin at me and winked. "And you look fresh as a daisy. That's suspicious." I ignored him and went down to the office.

I could hear their voices floating down the stairs as they all teased Will. I just ignored them and started to prep for the buffet in the kitchen. I had only been downstairs when I heard the doorbell ringing. I jogged up the stairs, grabbing my keys off the side of the bar. I pulled the long deadbolts down and found the right key so I could unlock the heavy door.

"We're closed." I called out as I pulled the door open. "Come back later." I looked out and was stunned into silence. Jerad Anderson was stood on the doorstep, smiling at me.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN - I'm sure I don't need to remind you that I dont know 100 Monkeys or anyone associated with them. I just like making them do stuff. **

**Also, if you have read my other fic, "Everything is Bigger in Texas", I just wanted to let you know that I have written a Jackson outtake for Fandom Against Juvenile Diabetes. This should be posted early next month. Make sure you have the main story on alert so you know when that happens.**

**Thank you to everyone who has read/reviewed/alerted this fic. Obviously, it's unbetad, all mistakes are my own. I just hope there's not too many.**

Chapter 3

I make myself busy while the band and Jerad catch up. I even leave the room so I don't tempt myself into eavesdropping. This is none of my business and I kinda wish they would take it elsewhere.

"When did his royal hawkness turn up?" Gwen breezed into the pub kitchen where I was finishing off the buffet for later.

"At about seven am. And I've been hiding down here since then." I glanced up at the clock. I'd been pottering around for almost three hours. I had other stuff to do and I wasn't going to let them prevent me from doing my job. "They've had plenty of time, I'm going up to sort stuff out for later. if they haven't finished, tough shit." I grumbled as i stomped up the stairs.

"Why are you pissed off?" Gwen asked me as I snatched my cigarettes and lighter from behind the bar and went outside for a smoke.

"I just feel trapped in my own pub. i know they've got issues, but I have a job to do. Couldn't they have taken it somewhere else?" Strangely, Gwen was quiet.

"Sorry if we're intruding." _Shit! _I turned to look at Ben and Jerad. "We'll head off soon to grab our gear."

"I didn't mean it like that guys, honest. I was just venting. I'm not used to being trapped in my own pub." I felt like a prime bitch. I knew stuff needed to be said between these guys and here i watching bitching about them.

"We understand." Jerad smiled kindly at me. "if you want us out, just say the word." He was just as nice as i remembered from meeting him before. "I don't think I introduced myself, I'm Jer-"

"Jerad, she knows who you are dude." Ben nudged his friend. it was nice to see some of the original camaraderie back. "We met her in December 2010. Playboy bunnies..." Not a flicker of recognition from the married man thankfully. "Her and her friend gave us that book with the stories and matching photos?"

"Shit, yeah. That was awesome." Jerad shook both mine and Gwen's hand. This week was getting more and more surreal every day, all I needed now was for Will to-

"Hey guys, are we ready to go and grab the gear. I watched his smile grow as the whole band piled out of the pub behind him. "We'll catch you later yeah?"

"I'll be here." I looked sideways at Gwen. "Shut the fuck up." I hissed at her.

"I never said a word."

"You didn't need to."

*NLF*

the two hours between the band leaving and coming back to set up were a whirlwind of activity. Gwen and casey helped me set the back room up so all they had to do was bring their gear in whilst the other girls helped with getting the entire pub clean and presentable. I was desperate for another bath, so I snuck upstairs to grab half an hour to myself, leaving everyone else to deal with people turning up to watch the show.

Lani had suggested that I charge a door cover, but I decided against it. I was going to make money behind the bar that I wouldn't normally because of the band, i wasn't going to try and make even more. I just wanted to be able to chill out and enjoy the show.

I sat in my kitchen smoking a cigarette while my bath filled with scalding hot water. I was kind of nervous about watching the guys perform today. Was the dynamic going to be the same? Although Jerad was here, he wasn't going to perform with them which was a shame, but I understood why. Even though he had never officially left, he rarely performed with the band anymore. I hoped this would give me the chance to talk to him a little more as he was the only one I hardly spoke to when i managed to meet the band the only time they toured in the UK.

"You drown yet?" Gwen's voice woke me up. I found myself sat in a fast cooling bath going wrinkly. I jerked upright, sloshing water over the side of the bath.

"Shit! What time is it?" I pulled myself out and wrapped up in my robe in a panic.

"Calm down, you've only been gone forty five minutes." I flung the door open and practically ran into my bedroom. "Slow your roll woman. There's no rush. Everything is completely under control downstairs."

"Thanks." I sat on the edge of my bed and calmed myself down. "I can't believe i fell asleep in the bloody bath."

"You've been stressing all week and have been working like a madwoman to make today perfect. It's out of your hands and in those of five crazy guys downstairs now. just make yourself pretty for Will and enjoy the rest of the day." I threw her a dirty look. "Oh come on! Like you haven't considered it." I watched as my best friend rifled through my wardrobe pulling out clothes before discarding them on the bed.

"I really haven't Gwen. And even if I had, it would be pointless anyway."

"What's pointless about a good night with a hot bloke who obviously wants more from you?"I had no answer, but I doubted one was expected. "Plus, the bonus is the not seeing him again. Good honest no strings sex."

"I cannot believe you went there." I pulled on the clothes she was holding out to me. "Nothing is going to happen between me and Will." Cue one raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, ok. Whatever." She left me alone to sort out my hair and minimal make up. Gwen's words rang in my ears and slowly got my stomach churning in knots. yeah, Will was a great guy, good looking and really sweet, but was that worth a quick fumble? I wasn't completely against the idea, quite the opposite. It had been a while... a very long while since I'd gotten any kind of action. Maybe a no strings something or other would help scratch an itch i hadn't realised I had. I gave myself the once over in the mirror,decided i would do and headed downstairs. I walked into utter bedlam.

There were wires everywhere. My pub looked like a total deathtrap.

"I do not want to know." I told Ben as I walked passed him.

"OK, I won't tell you that you look hot then." He grinned as I flipped him off on my way to the office.

"He's right, you look great." Casey was sat on the stairs keeping out of the way. She looked at my leggings, biker boots and summer dress style top. "Dressed to impressed?"

"Don't you fucking start bitch." I grumbled as I unlocked the safe to float the tills. I still felt uncomfortable charging my friends for drinks today, but I had to remember I had a business to run as well as have fun.

"Would I?" The innocent face wasn't fooling me one bit.

"Yes, you would. You spend far too much time with Gwen. Is it "annoy the hell out of Zoe" week?"

"No, its "get Zoe laid finally" week." I could have strangled her.

"Shut up." I leaned back in my chair to look up the stairs, checking if anyone was listening. Feet passed back and forth, but no one stopped.

"Why are you so nervous? It's blatantly obvious there's an attraction there. Why not just act on it before he buggers off home?" Well, when she puts it like that?

"When who buggers off home?" Ben's "English accent" was awful. I glared at casey, willing her to keep her mouth shut, but when did she ever manage that? Ben sat down and waited for Casey to spill, which she did.

"Will. I was just saying to Zoe that there's no harm in those two hooking up at least once before he flies back to the States." I may suddenly be a barmaid short because I was going to kill her.

"That's a great idea." Ben hopped back to his feet. "I'll go get hi-" I grabbed hold of his arm.

"You will do no such thing Ben, not if you ever want to father children." He sat straight back down. I looked at both of them. "Stay out of my business. Both of you. Go along on your merry ways and just leave me alone. I do not want to spend today feeling like I'm on a blind date." I turned my back on them. "And you can tell Gwen the same."

*NLF*

The stage was set, the pub was packed and the band were in my office writing their set list as was their tradition just before going on stage. Casey and I had worked our way through the initial rush of people buying drinks, and now that it had calmed down, I found myself a decent spot where I could sit on the bar and pulled my camera out. I looked around at a lot of familiar faces who had turned up for the free show, and for the opportunity to actually be in one of their videos.

The guys emerged, sheets of paper in their hand which they took with them onto stage in front of each of their instruments. The crowd was going metal and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Will and his camera. A "run" had been left free so that he could move around without tripping over anyone and allowed to film from all angles. He gave me a quick wink as Ben began to speak into his mic.

"Before we start, I want to thank each and every one of you for coming today. I know it was last minute, but as usual, Monkey Junkies are awesome in pulling together. But none of us would be here if it wasn't for one person in particular. Can everyone please thank Zoe for not only letting us use this wonderful pub of hers, but also for getting the word out to you all." He pointed at me, and about sixty pairs of eyes turned t look at me as people began clapping. I smiled through my blushes, yet somehow, I could only feel one set of eyes watching me. i turned to see Will looking at me from across the room, a small smile on his face. When I caught his eye, he nodded a thanks to me before raising his camera onto his shoulder. I watched him work his way through the crowd, a weird feeling deep in my stomach before I realised the band were almost halfway through "The Monkey Song"

"Are you OK?" Jerad hauled himself up onto the bar to sit next to me.

"Yeah, I'm good. You?" What the hell was going on here? Why was he sat here with me and not up on stage with the band?

"I'm good. Jet lag is starting to kick in a little, but I've had worse." I watched the guys on stage for a couple of minutes. They were on form, but there was something missing, and I think everyone in the room knew what that was. My eyes found Will again. Why I kept watching him, I wasn't sure, but watching him work was intense. I suddenly realised jerad was talking to me again.

"Sorry, what?" He smiled knowingly at me.

"I was just saying that it's great of you to do this for the guys today. They needed it, even if just to reconnect with the fans."

"Thanks. It wasn't really my idea, it was Will's." Just at the mention of his name, I turned to look at him as he changed some settings on his camera.

"He has brainwaves like that. Why he isn't working in Hollywood is beyond me." Jerad sounded like a proud father.

"I think if he wanted to, he would be, but he seems to be happy in what he's doing with his career."

"You might just be right." We both watched the band launch into their next song. "Arizona" a great song, but not one of my favourites so I climbed down behind the bar.

"Another beer?" I indicated his hawkness' empty bottle.

"Sure. Thanks." I popped one open and handed it to him before getting myself a bottle of cider. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go for it." I made myself comfortable back in my spot.

"Why does Lani keep throwing you dirty looks?" I glanced over at the band's manager and sure enough, she was glaring at me.

"I have no idea. I've hardly spoken to her." Jerad sniggered. "What?"

"I've just realised, I've never seen her jealous before." Say what?

"What the hell has she got to be jealous of? Anyone in this room would give their right arm to be in her position." Jerad looked at me as if I had sprouted another head.

"Are you kidding? Even when she had a thing for Rathbone, she was never like this around fans." _I knew she'd fancied him! _I gave myself an internal high five. "But, she's looking at you as if she wants to gouge out your eyes with a rusty spoon."

"What have I done to her?" I was really confused. Before he could answer, the bar was swarmed as Ben announced they were having a break before performing their new single, "Crashing Walls".

"Want some help?" Jerad climbed over the bar as well.

"If you can pull a pint, you're hired." Off he went. Just as I finished pouring the last drink, Will came over.

"Drink?" I asked him, reaching for a glass.

"Please, it's hot out there." I noticed he's pulled his shirt off to reveal a black wifebeater which enhanced his arms. _Oh my! _ I actually heard Gwen's voice in my head. I poured a pint and handed it to him. He took a large mouthful and grinned at me. "You joining the crowd for the video?" He asked.

"Yeah, why not. It's not everyday i get to be in a music video." I climbed back over. Will offered me his hand to help me down. "thanks." I noticed he didn't let go as I joined the crown near the front of the tiny 'stage'.

"Anytime." He gave my hand a squeeze before going to pick up his camera. Jerad managed to fit himself in beside me.

"THAT is why she's jealous." He stated, watching the guys getting back upon stage, a certain longing in his eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous." I actually snorted.

"I'm serious. They had a pretty acrimonious split from what I heard, and it was his choice not hers." Jesus, why was he telling me this?

"That's none of my business really." The Bens were tuning their guitars while we spoke.

"I think it may well be in the very near future."

"Oh for fuck sake, not you too?"

"Not me too what?"

"If you mention me and Will hooking up, I'm going to lock you in the cellar overnight."

"So, I'm not the only one who's noticed the way you watch each other then." I wanted to punch the smug grin off his face, but the music started allowing me to ignore him and get lost in the upbeat new song. Just as Johnson started singing, I felt Jerad lean in and whisper in my ear. "It's obvious. Just don't leave things to chance otherwise it'll be too late." I ignored him.

*NLF*

As per tradition, the guys did a signing after the show allowing the fans to congratulate them on an awesome set. I was pleased to note that Ben had taken my advice and the band had not performed "Orson Brawl" which no doubt pissed off a few fans, but it was the right thing to do. As much as the new set up worked, that particular song would just not work without Jackson.

In accordance with my licence, and being told to do so by the brewery, I made everyone leave within forty minutes of the end of the show. The guys made themselves busy packing away their gear while Jerad helped casey and gwen clean up the bar considering he had spent most of his night behind it serving customers. I took the till down to the office to cash up.

Almost a week to get the whole day organised and it flies by. It was going to be weird not having the excitement and wondering if the guys were going to walk in or not. Although, the lack of teasing would be a welcome change. I always seemed to be the butt of many a joke by gwen and Casey, but I wouldn't change the pair of them for love nor money. Not that I'd ever admit that to them though.

"Hey, Zoe, you down here?" Ben's voice floated down the stairs.

"In here." I called back, hearing his footsteps on the stairs. I smiled up at him when he joined me. "Everything OK?"

"Yeah, we just wanted to let you know we're all packed up. Also, is there any chance of a quick drink before we get going? We're all still pumped.

"Sure, tell casey I said it's fine. I'll be up in about five minutes."

"Awesome." He bounded back up the steep stairs, leaving me to finish off.

Once all the figures were straight, I locked everything away in the safe and went into the cellar. I had a corner where I kept my own bought and paid for bottles. I grabbed a bottle of Rose and headed up to join everyone. I could hear Casey had dug out one of my ages old dance cds and had stuck it on random in the background.

"Hey, the woman of the hour!" Ben called out as I sat at the table with them all, making me blush. Everyone raise their glasses to me in thanks.

"Please, stop. It was nothing. It's just going to be weird not having you lot around now you're all going back to the States." I poured myself a glass of wine.

"Seriously, you did us a huge favour, not least giving us the chance to reconnect with the fans. It was a lot like the beginning for us." Larry spoke up in his quiet voice. "For that we shall be forever grateful. Know you always have us as friends." I felt tears well up in my eyes at the sentiment. I excused myself to go for a cigarette, needing to be outside for a moment.

"Are you OK?" Will's voice was full of concern, but didn't come from behind me. I didn't remember seeing him in the pub.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Larry just made me a little emotional." I smiled as he pulled his own cigarettes out and lit one. "Where did you disappear to?"

"I just went for a walk to clear my head. I'm in need of a drink now though." Did I detect a hint of nerves in his voice? I doubted it as I flicked my cigarette end into the gutter.

"There's plenty in here." I turned to head back inside. I squeal slightly as Will grabs my arm and crushes me to him, claiming my lips with his own. Automatically I wind my arms around his neck and try to press myself even closer to his hard body. His hands held onto my hips tightly as he began to walk me backwards. I crashed into the wall with a bump which did nothing to break our kiss that was getting more and more intense.

I shivered as his hands moved from my hips and ghosted upwards and rested on my ribs just under my breasts. His thumbs flicked up and across my nipples through my thin top. The electric jolt made me jump and bang my head against the wall.

"Are you OK?" He murmured against my lips. I nodded as I caught my breath before kissing him again. It was hard and full of twisting tongues and clashing teeth as I lowered my own hands to cup his arse which was encased in loose fitting jeans. I was just running my fingers along the exposed waistband of his boxers when someone coughing interrupted us.

"You're gonna give that girl a concussion dude." My heart skipped a beat at the deep voice I knew almost as well as my own. Will groaned into my mouth before pulling away leaving my lips throbbing.

"Hey Jay, what brings you to these parts?"

**Thoughts? Press that little button...**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN - So, another update... Only cause I'm away for the weekend so I can't write. This chapter only took me all day to write cause I had to keep taking a break. Certain people (Ahem Sara ahem) were spamming me with pics of Will on twitter and kept distracting me.**

**I dont know anyone associated with 100 Monkeys, I just like making them do what I want.**

Chapter 4

I followed Will and Jackson into the pub, avoiding the smug looks of "I told you so" that both Casey and Gwen were shooting me. The place was in uproar at the arrival of Jackson. I grabbed my glass of wine, topped it up and sat on the bench and watched everyone hug and shake hands. I noticed Ben was hanging back slightly. It was a bit like that scene in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" when Harry's celebrating getting the golden egg from the dragon and Ron walks in. Awkward to the point of being uncomfortable. That feeling was helped by the feeling of Lani's eyes boring into me. I looked up and caught her eyes, holding contact until she looked away, standing up to greet the newcomer.

Casey and Gwen thoroughly ignored him and sat watching me. I resolutely ignored them, pulling my phone out of my bag and looking at twitter. There was nothing but high praise for the band with regards to the show and the new single.

"Stop ignoring us?" Gwen sat next to me. "By the look of your lips, I can guess why you're not overly impressed at his bootiness' sudden appearance."

"Shut up!" I hissed, glancing around looking as shifty as a spotty prepubescent boy trying to buy a top shelf magazine. "Now is not the time."

"Now is the perfect time, everyone's distracted." Casey sat the other side of me and removed my phone from my hand. "Spill."

Who's spilt somethi- oh." Jerad sat down opposite me and took one look at my face. "I'll leave you ladies to it." I snorted at his use of the words ladies sat in between the two harridans who were chomping at the bit either side of me.

"Please, stay." I felt twin glares boring into me. "Oh, thanks for helping behind the bar today."

"It was fun. I did bar work years ago. It's not quite the same as being up on stage, but I made a few tips." He grinned at us before having his attention pulled away by Johnson calling his name. "Catch you later." He walked over to where the rest of the guys and Lani were sat around Jackson who seemed to be showing them all something on his phone.

"I need the loo." I stood up. I knew I wasn't going to escape them for very long, but I would take what I could get. Before either one of them could follow me, I practically ran to the ladies, and locked myself in before they could say a word.

A few minutes later there was a soft knock at the door.

"Mention Will Schmidt and I throttle you till the dawn of time."

"What if I am him?" Fair play. I unlocked the door, pulled him into the small bathroom and glared at him.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?" I run my hands under some cool water just for something to do.

"Well, you did yank me in by the collar and lock the door behind me. I think I'm a hostage."

"Very funny. Why did you follow me to the ladies'?"

"Because we were interrupted earlier, and I'm sure we both have more to offer." I raised an eyebrow.

"In a bog?"

"A what? Never mind. I was wondering if you wanted to go and grab some food?" That shocked me.

"Sure. But I don't think that rabble will let us escape that easily." He winked at me.

"Do you need to get anything?" I shook my head. "Then let's go out through the other room. They won't even notice for a while, what with the arrival of Jackson." He really had it all planned. He stood holding out his hand. I took hold of it and we left the toilet together. As I ran to grab my keys, Will peeked into the lounge before we headed to the back door.

*NLF*

We'd been sat in Subway, which just happened to be the first open place that served food, for almost an hour before my phone rang. Gwen's name flashed up on the screen.

"Where the fuck are you?" I managed to not burst out laughing.

"All the grief you've been giving me this week, and when I act on said grief, you bitch at me. I can never win can I?" Will looked at me strangely.

"Well, you could have told us. Lani is sat here foaming at the mouth over dancing boy skipping out with you. I will just assume you will be back late. Do everything I would do and more." She hung up on me.

"What was that about?" I shook my head.

"Believe me, you don't want to know. Gwen is my Jiminy Cricket" He started to snigger.

"Sounds like G." Another raised eyebrow. "All week he has been poking and prodding at me to... uh, I think his words were 'get down to business, to defeat the Hun' - or maybe that was Mulan. Either way, he's been sitting there poking the shit out of me to get me anywhere with you."

"Mulan? Seriously?" I shook my head.

"Don't judge me. I need downtime too."

"I just didn't see you as the Disney Princess type."

"I only watch it for the kung fu."

"Sure... Closet Donny Osmond fan are we?"

"How do you know he sings in that film?" _Shit! _

"Er... well. I have nieces." _Nice save. _

"Sure." I made a mental note to hide my Disney DVDs if ever he came back up to the flat. Why was I thinking about him coming to the flat? "And are those nieces about twenty five and enjoy ruining your life?"

"That would be them."

"They're not really your nieces are they?"

"Thankfully, no. I'm not related to them." He threw his head back laughing.

"They are very protective of you aren't they?"

"We all are of each other, but it is also their life mission to hook me up with someone."

"Isn't that what friends are for?"

"I guess so." I looked at him to find that he was smiling softly at me. It was a smile that I remembered from the band's UK tour and I'd managed to snag a photo with him at the merch stand. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I just enjoy hearing you talking about your friends. It's very obvious that the three of you are close and would do anything for each other."

"Yeah, including wearing one of us down to get us our own way." I couldn't help but laugh. "But it sounds like you've been experiencing the same pressure."

"Yeah, but you know what they say... Some pressure is … yeah. I got nothing." He chuckled, "Sometimes it's worth it. I mean... we're here, aren't we?"

"In Subway?" I teased. "Way to show a girl a good time."

"It's the only goddamn place that was open!" I started to laugh. "Besides, I don't think the staff would appreciate me showing you how good a time we could have."

"I don't know, they look pretty bored." I managed to shock him. He took a sip of his coke before standing up.

"That sounded like a challenge, and I thrive on challenges." I took hold of his hand and let him lead me back towards the pub.

*NLF*

I felt like I had regressed back to my teenage years, trying to unlock doors without anyone hearing me. It didn't work then, and it didn't work now.

"Look what the cat dragged in." Gwen and Casey stood in the tiny foyer like bookend with their arms crossed.

"Don't you two have homes to go to?" I grumbled as I locked the door behind me and Will.

"Yes, we do. But the entertainment here is much more appealing." I wanted to pull off my socks and shove them in Gwen's mouth. "Anyway, we were just going when you two decided to sneak in like kids after curfew."

"Have the guys gone?" Will asked them, not even trying to hide the hope in his voice.

"Yeah. Ben and Jackson left to go and have a few drinks and talk while everyone else went back to your hotel." Casey looked at me. "By the way, Jerad confiscated Lani's phone from her cause she was getting herself wound up." _Wonderful. _

"Thanks for the heads up." Will took hold of my hand. "We'll see you tomorrow no doubt." And with that he led me up to my own flat. I'm sure I heard Casey mutter something about not knowing he could be so assertive, but I ignored it and just followed him, watching the way his arse moved under his jeans.

As soon as we were behind closed doors, I found myself pressed up against a wall yet again with Will's lips on my own and his hands resuming their exploration of my body. My own hands found the hem of his shirt and his abs underneath. I remember just before the band came to the UK and were on their US leg of the tour, there were a few pictures of Will circulating. There was one in particular in which he was flashing his abs during the dance off. I remember seeing that and thinking naughty thoughts, but as I was a HUGE Jackson fan, I never really thought more about it. Then, I met him in London and managed to talk to him. He kind of turned my head a little.

My thoughts were brought back to the present moment in time by the feeling of Will running his tongue from my collar bone to my earlobe which he then took between his teeth making me shudder in a really good way. I had never looked at him in this way, but the guy was rapidly changing my opinion of him. The pressure of his teeth on my earlobe intensified slightly as he ran his hands up my back to my bra strap which he undid with no problems.

"Someone's had plenty of practice." I gasped as he moved slightly to allow himself to pull down the straps of my top down to my waist along with my bra and palm my breasts, running his thumb over my hard nipples causing me to moan.

"It's been a while, but I think it's coming back to me very quickly." He murmured before claiming my mouth with his own again. I was still pressed up against my front door by pretty much the full length of Will's body. Another moan escaped me as he began to roll my nipples between his thumbs and fingers. My own fingers had come to a rest on his hips, but the jolts that were surging through my body got them moving again. I swept them through the soft hair on his abdomen down to his button fly on his jeans. I pulled my head away to look him in the eye, almost asking permission to go further. His response was to clasp the back of my head and kiss me. Hard.

Slowly, I popped the buttons on his jeans and slid them, and his boxers, over his arse and impressive erection. Just as I decided I was going to sink to my knees, he surprised me by pulling down my own trousers and underwear. Letting go of me momentarily, he bent down and pulled a condom out of his pocket and make quick work of rolling it on before grabbing me by the hips and lifting me off the ground. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he filled me with one thrust.

I loved the fact that there was no getting used to his size or anything. This was fucking, pure and simple. Within minutes he was pounding into me hard and past causing the door to boom. His fingers dug into my hips as he increased his pace further, hitting my g spot repeatedly. I found myself screaming as I felt my orgasm build suddenly from nowhere.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" I yelled as I felt my orgasm explode through my entire body. Just as I was riding out my climax, there was that subtle shift in Will's rhythm which told me he was close too.

"Fuck... I'm … gonna..." Words morphed into grunts as his body began to tense. With a feral moan he came.

My back was sore as he set my feet back on the ground as we fought to catch our breath. I pulled my clothes on messily before walking into the bathroom.

"Sorry." Will's voice made me turn from the bath that I was starting to run.

"What for?"

"Being so rough back there." I walked over to him and cupped his face. "Do I look like the kind of person that would have rough sex up against her front door if I didn't want it?" He shook his head. "Stop worrying then. I'm not as fragile as I look." I placed a gentle kiss on his lips before turning my back on him. I pulled my clothes off and stepped into the scalding hot bath. Will was gaping at me, looking a little like Nemo's dad. "Gonna join me?"

*NLF*

The following morning, I woke up to bright sunshine streaming through the window, and no duvet covering me. Frowning, I glanced down at my naked body. There was a muscular arm draped loosely over my stomach. Will was fast asleep, his blonde 'afro' framing his peaceful face. I glanced at the clock to see that it was nearly six in the morning. Time for work, unfortunately. I peeled myself away from Will's warm body and walked into the bathroom. I ached in that "well and truly fucked" way that felt deliciously sore. I stretched my body to relieve the kinks before washing and getting dressed.

Before going down to the pub, I left a note for Will on my pillow. Cliché I know, but I wanted to let him know that as much as I would have stayed in bed all day, some of us had to actually to work ungodly hours.

The pub was clean thanks to Casey. All I needed to do was make sure the fridges were fully stocked before sitting in the office for the next four hours catching up on orders and other crappy paperwork.

After an hour, the phone rang.

"The Bridge, Zoe speaking."

"Oh, I didn't expect you to be in work this early." Gwen's voice was loud.

"Why wouldn't I be? Have you forgotten I have a business to run?"

"I just thought you'd still be all tucked up in your post coital bliss with 'Thwilla'. Or did you bang him then kick him out?" I rolled my eyes.

"Like I'd do that." I could hear footsteps above me. "I'm not you."

"Ooh, bitchy. But completely right. I love my bed too much to share it for too long." It was what she renowned for.

"I admit, it was hard to get up this morning, but as ever, I have a never ending pile of work to get through."

"Well...?"

"Well what?"

"Did the two of you shag like bunnies?" I grinned at the flashback of Will gripping my hips as I rode his hard and fast before he flipped up over and changed the pace to slow and sensual.

"That would be telling." I could hear Will walking down the stairs to the office. "I've got to go, I'll phone you later." I hung up and looked back at the pages of emails as Will hovered in the doorway. "Morning." I sat back in my chair and looked up at him.

"Morning yourself." He stepped into the office, turned my chair so that I was facing him. He then took a step forward so that he was stood between my legs. He bent down and gave me a slow kiss. "I was cold when I woke up to an empty bed." He actually pouted.

"I'm sorry, but some of us work regular hours rather than swanning around with a band all the time." I teased.

"Talking of 'swanning around', as you put it, I need to leave soon to start editing the reel from yesterday." For someone who had just had no strings sex with an extremely good looking guy with plenty of stamina who was due to leave the country soon, this news shouldn't have made my stomach flip the way it did.

"Do you want me to get you coffee and something for breakfast?" Was all I could manage.

"Stay there; just point me in the direction of a kettle and toaster. I'm a big boy you know."

"Yeah, I do know." I pointed in the direction of the kitchen, mortified by what I had just said.

"I might keep you if you keep saying stuff like that." As soon as he was out of my sight, I head butted the desk, cursing my lack of brain to mouth filter.

Will kept me company for a couple more hours while I worked and set up the bar ready for the lunch rush. Casey said nothing when she turned up for her shift to find Will and I practically shagging on the bar. He decided to leave as I opened the doors.

"I'll try to come and see you tomorrow. It all depends on how the editing goes."

"You're editing it here in the UK? I assumed you'd fly back to LA and do it there."

"That was the original plan, but I'm using equipment that Marty has, so we're staying a while longer. Gonna do the whole touristy stuff. I'm fond of sightseeing..." I didn't need the lascivious look he leveled at me to know he was mentally undressing me.

"Get out of here and go earn your money." I shoved him out the door, laughing. I walked into the lounge to find Casey sat on a stool in my spot.

"Well?" was all she needed to say.

*NLF*

**Thoughts...**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN- Just a reminder. I do not know anyone associated with 100 Monkeys. This is completely fictional for my own means.**

Chapter 5

The next few days were thankfully uneventful. Life was simply plodding along as it had done before all the excitement of the band and Will showing up. None of them had been in for a drink, but I hadn't expected them. I assumed ben and Jackson were working out their issues which made me smile and hope that things could start to work back to how they were. The new guys were nice enough, but it simply wasn't the same, even after all this time.

Casey had a few days off, so I was pretty much working on my own after my other member of staff had gone on maternity. I knew Gwen would help me out if I needed it, or I could speak to the pub down the road if they had any spare staff, but my customers were pretty cool and didn't mind a bit of a wait if they saw it was busy.

Friday lunch had just finished, and the pub was fairly quiet. I was cleaning the glasses and putting them all away when the phone rang.

"The Bridge, Zoe speaking." I kept one eye on the empty bar.

"Hey. Do you have a DVD player in the pub?" I smiled at the sound of Will's voice.

"Yes, I do. I'm fine, thanks for asking, how are you?" Sarcasm was my forte.

"Sorry. How are you?" I could hear the smile in his voice.

"I'm good. It's lovely and quiet in here." I leaned against the counter revelling in him talking to me. I wasn't sure when he'd be going back to the states and I wouldn't see him again. This fact was starting to bother me more than I expected of even wanted it to.

"Feeling lonely are you?" Will teased me, causing bits of me to tingle deliciously.

"Nah, Old Bert is in his usual corner." I heard the door open and close. "I have to go." I hung up without waiting for a response and walked out to the lounge. Will was sat at the bar grinning.

"That wasn't very polite now was it?" I poured him a pint of beer and placed it in front of him. Just as I pulled my hand back, he grabbed it and kissed my knuckles gently.

"Well, when I hear the door, I assume a customer has walked in. It's not good business to keep the customer waiting. Seeing as it's just you, I'll back out to the phone shall I?" I teased.

"I'd rather talk to you face to face, as horny as your voice makes me." I had no retort for that. I simply watched Will's mouth as he drank his lager. When I was at the peak of my ridiculous crush on Jackson, I was obsessed with his beautiful lips (among other things). Even though Will's weren't as full and sensual, there was still something about his mouth that wouldn't let me pull my eyes away. then remembered how it felt to have them on my body... everywhere. A shiver of pleasure ran through my body at the memories.

"Er..." _What the fuck? _

"Did I render you speechless? I thought you had an answer for everything." The fucker was smirking at me.

"You did that on purpose. Bastard." was just about to give him flashbacks of his own, when the door opened and Lani walked in with Jackson and Ben.

"Hey Zoe." Ben bounded up to me and pulled me in for a tight hug. "Thank you. For giving me the chance to sort things out with Jay." He whispered in my ear.

"What for? I didn't get Jackson here." I poured them all a drink. Everyone apart from Lani smiled their thanks.

"You kinda did." The man himself came and joined Ben and myself. "If it wasn't for you tweeting about the show here, I wouldn't have known where they were. So thank you from me too." He leant over the bar and kissed me on the cheek, causing me to blush. So many old fantasies came to the forefront of my mind. He excused himself when his phone rang. A smile lit up his features as it became obvious he was talking to his son. I watched him pull his cigarettes out of his pocket as he walked outside. I caught Will's eyes as he watched me watching Jackson. There was a weird look on his face as he returned to his pint.

"Can I have a word?" Ben's voice distracted me. I led him into the back room once more. "What's going on with you and Will?" He cut to the chase.

"No offence, but what business is it of yours?" I wasn't sure why I went on the defensive, but i couldn't help myself.

"It's not, but he's my friend and I don't want to see him hurt."

"Ben, as far as I thought, this 'thing' between Will and I was just temporary. It can't be anything more realistically." I came across as cold, but I knew he knew that I was telling the truth.

"I know it can't be more, with the whole long distance thing, but at least while he's here in London, surely the two of you can spend time together." I thought about it.

"We have been."

"Yeah, surrounded by all of us, and his very bitter ex."

"I had noticed, but what can I do? I work all hours and then when I do have time off, a band book my pub for a video shoot."

"Oh..." I nodded and began to walk back through to serve customers. "I'm sorry for butting in."

"You're just worried about your friend. I'm not planning on breaking his heart. A, I'm not that cold hearted and b, I highly doubt he thinks that much of me to allow me in that much." I patted Ben on the arm as I walked past him.

*NLF*

When I got back into the bar, I found that Phil the karaoke guy had turned up.

"Hey Zoe, what's with all the yanks?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"They're friends, so shut up and set up. You may be pleasantly surprised tonight."

"Why, you singing tonight?"For years, Phil had tried to get me up on karaoke after Casey had told him she'd overheard me singing.

"Nope."

"Oh come on. It's about time you regaled us with a number." I shook my head and walked back behind the bar. "I'll get your mates to talk you into it then."

"Talk us into what?" Ben asked.

"Nothing, isn't that right Phil?"

"Yo Phil, managed to get Zoe to sing yet?" Casey walked in, big mouth arriving before anything else as usual.

"Not yet. You know me Case, never one to give up." I glared at the pair of them.

"Why won't you sing?" Ben was grinning now that he knew what was going on."

"Come on Zo, I even programmed in all them monkey songs for you." I prayed for a giant tornado to come and take me away, Wizard of Oz style.

"Oh did you now?" Jackson had come back in and was joining in. I looked over to see him and Will grinning as if I'd been caught having a pee in public.

"Yeah, I admit, they don't get many people picking em, but they're not bad at all. Made me buy their albums. Zoe was like the cat that got the cream when she found out. She's always going on about 'em." Casey was wetting herself at the look of utter horror on my face.

"What songs does she bug you with then?" I wanted to slap Jackson.

"There's two. Orson Brawl and The Sound. Those are always playing." _Kill me now! _

"Oh really?" Jackson smirked at me. "I think you should sing The Sound..."

"Know of the band do you?" That made me snigger.

"A little." Jackson turned to me. "You sing one, I'll sing one." I gaped at him. It had been two years since Jackson had been seen to sing any of the monkey songs. I glanced over at the 'new' guys who had turned up at the beginning of the conversation and were looking a bit nervous at this turn of events. I couldn't blame them, they hadn't really fitted in, and now that Jackson seemed to be back on the scene, they seemed to have even more of a reason to feel left out.

"This is a great idea." Ben jumped onto the bandwagon. I already know what I'm going to sing." He ran over to Phil to grab a pen and some paper. I watched him scribble of two or three sheets and hand them back.

"Oh, I hope he sings Shy Water." I knew the effect that song had on Casey.

*NLF*

I had managed to escape the crazy that was taking over my pub and have a shower in the hopes that while I was gone, everyone would forget about me singing. I pulled on my comfiest jeans, biker boots and a simple tank top and headed back down into the pub.

100 Monkeys were sat along the bar as if they were in an episode of Cheers and I felt all their eyes on me as I walked past them.

"Like what you see of something?" I snapped at them a little, causing them all to look down at their drinks. Only Will continued to watched me unashamed. I raised an eyebrow causing him to smirk.

"Ready for your big moment?" Jerad asked me.

"What big moment?"

"Singing The Sound with Will?" I stared at him. He wasn't even here when all that nonsense had gone on.

"What? I never agreed to that." Ben was slowly sinking lower and lower. "What did you do Graupner?" I levelled my death gaze at him.

"You better tell her before she melts you with the power of her glare." Will sniggered.

"I signed you and Will up to perform together tonight." I had no words.

"No fucking way!" I practically yelled. "No offence Will, I just don't do performing." I looked over at him. He simply shrugged.

"Too late buttercup, you're first up." Phil shoved a microphone into my hand and dragged me over to the monitors. "You don't sing, I don't come back."

"I fucking hate you." Will sauntered over,a shit eating grin on his face. I was about to snap at him when the music started, causing every person in the pub to look over at us. Instinctively, I began to sing at the right time.

When it got to Ben's part just before Thwilla's rap, the man himself jumped up and sang for me. Phil was watching us with a strange look on his face.

It's a universal fact known to all women everywhere that men who can dance are usually good in bed. As I watched Will breakdance for the rest of the song, I had more flashbacks of him pinning me against my door, making me orgasm with the movement of his hips. Thankfully, the song ended and I was able to escape the eyes on me.

I ran down to the office for a breather. I couldn't believe I had let those fuckers corral me into doing that. I would never admit that I'd enjoyed it to any of them, ever. It was never going to happen again either. I sank into my chair to try and relax for a bit, before heading back upstairs where I could hear someone killing a Take That song.

"You sang that better than Jay in my opinion." Will's voice made me jump. He stood in the doorway smiling at me.

"Yeah, ok. You obviously need your head read." I pulled my secret stash of whiskey out of my draw and poured myself a shot. "It's not that hard a song to sing. there's no challenge in it. No offence."

"None taken." He wasn't going to press the singing thing thankfully. "Are you coming back up to watch that lot get drunker and louder?" He jerked his head to indicate the racket coming from upstairs."

"Yeah. I'm giving them time to get into their stride so that they don't make me sing again." I watched as he sat down on the spare chair and turned to face me. "What?" I looked down at my top to check I hadn't spilt my drink.

"Can't I look at you?" He didn't sound hurt. If anything, the look he gave me was flirty.

"Sure you can. There's not much to see." I turned away from his gaze to pour another drink, this time passing one to him.

"I beg to differ, there is plenty to see when looking at you." I felt the blush flood my face. "I'm not just feeding you a line here."

"Good to know. I hate guys that do that." Internally I was thinking that he didn't really need to feed me a line as we'd already fucked like rabbits. I must admit, I was kind of hoping he was buttering me up. I could have gone for round two before he buggered back off to the states. It wasn't like I had fellas queuing up to talk to me. Get served beer yes, conversation no.

"Do I need to though?" I looked at him, direct eye contact. "Actually... is there any chance you can get out of work tomorrow?"

"I could in the afternoon, why?" He suddenly stood up, dragging me by the hand.

"I'm taking you out." He planted a kiss on my lips before bounding up the stairs. I started walking up behind him.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." He told me before going to the bar and talking to Casey in hushed tones.

"What's a surprise?" Jackson joined me at the end of the bar.

"I actually don't know." I knocked back my whiskey. "And that scares me."

**Thoughts...?**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN- Now I know I don't need to remind you that I don't know anyone portrayed in this story… Although, after writing this chapter, I wish I did. Thanks to Lia Jane and SarahAh30 for helping me get over my *ahem* hump. And to those who asked for certain events… I have compromised… Gonna go hide while you read!**

Chapter 6

Casey had assured me that she could cover for me for the rest of the day once the lunchtime rush was done. I was actually quite scared about what she had helped Will plan for the afternoon. I kept finding her watching me, grinning. And I didn't like it.

The previous evening, had ended quite messy. Phil couldn't believe how much my "Yank friends" sounded just like the band and drank himself into oblivion, leaving it to me to call his son to come and pack his gear up and drive him home at the end of the night. Ben, Will and Jackson had taken over the fruit machines as if they were on a stag weekend in Vegas, while Jerad, Johnson and Larry had left early with the new guys and Lani. Gwen had rolled in about an hour before last orders having been out at work for the entire day. It was then that I had realised that Will had wanted to put something on the pub dvd player and never had. I made a mental note to ask him about it

I managed to kick everyone out before midnight claiming I had a migraine brewing and needed to sleep. Truthfully, I needed to think. Was me spending the afternoon with Will going to cause complications? I didn't even know when he was going back to LA.

I decided to put on my big girl panties and just go with the flow. I'll probably never see him, or the band again unless they came back to tour in the UK. I'd deal with that as and when. I was just going to enjoy myself spending time with a good looking bloke. Well, maybe not the proper 'Big Girl Panties' cause I might get lucky, and I was no Bridget Jones.

After I had finished cleaning the kitchen, I headed up to the flat to shower and change for my afternoon with Will. I had no idea what he had planned so was a bit shocked to find that Casey had laid out some clothes for me. My usual attire of jeans, tank top and boots were carefully folded on my chair. I did notice that the boots were not my usual cowboy boots, or even my biker boots. They were my high heeled shoe boots. Just as I was about to swap them for my cowboy boots, my phone beeped with a text. _You WILL wear those boots. Cx _She know me far to well. I groan and head for the bathroom.

Within twenty minutes, I am showered, dressed in the skin tight jeans and am sat at my dressing table blowdrying my hair. I needed a change with it. Maybe I could cut it short... My thoughts were interrupted by my phone ringing.

"Your man awaits." Casey hung up. I grabbed my bag, checked I had my phone, purse, cigarettes. I couldn't be bothered with my contacts, so I grabbed my glasses. My keys were thrown into my bag after I locked the door and began to descend the stairs to the pub. I prayed to the gods of shoes that he wasn't expecting me to walk very far. I was going to kill Casey if I got a blister or twisted my ankle.

I was astounded when I walked into the lounge to find Will looking rather black jeans and a black shirt. His mini afro was still wild, but that just added to his appeal. He put his bottle of beer down onto the bar as he realised I had joined him.

"You look great." He complimented me, kissing me gently on the cheek.

"Looking rather spiffy yourself there Thwilla." I spotted Gwen sat at the end of the bar grinning like a mad woman, my denim jacket in her hands. "I might have guessed you'd be here." I took my jacket off her. I nearly jumped a mile when Will helped me to pull it on.

"Just passing by." _Yeah, sure. _ I rolled my eyes and turned to Casey.

"I have my phone if you need me." She waved her hand to stop me talking.

"Steve from the Royal is coming in at seven. You can have the entire night off. Now go, have fun." Will grinned as he held out his arm, allowing me to take hold of his elbow. Just as he led me out of the building, Ben, Jackson and Jerad walked in.

"Ooh, date night?" Ben sang out.

"Fuck off." I mumbled as the rest of them chuckled like kids in a sex education lesson.

"Just ignore them." Will whispered as he opened the door for me. I nearly pissed myself laughing when he led me to his car. Gwen would have a field day when she saw his car. It was a bright yellow Fiat Cinquecento. All it needed was the one red door and I would be in an episode of the Inbetweeners.

"Nice ride." I snorted as he unlocked the doors.

"It was the only hire car left. Get in and stop moaning. Maybe you could save that for later." I stared at him as he sat in the driver's seat and started the engine. It was going to be one of those days.

"Very funny. Where are we going?" I watched his hands as they gripped the steering wheel lazily while driving through the streets of London. I didn't pay attention as I thought about how good it would feel to have those hands on my naked skin again.

"It's a surprise. Casey says you work too hard and need a break. I thought I would make the most of this information so that we could spend some time together away from the pub and the rest of the guys." It was then I realised that he was driving into the West End.

"Did Casey also tell you that I hate surprises?" As soon as Will had parked his car in the car park in Museum street, I climbed out and lit a cigarette.

"Why yes, in fact she did. So this grumpy side is no shock." He took my hand in his and started walking.

"I'm not grumpy." I grumbled, making him laugh even more.

"All will be revealed shortly." He gave my hand a squeeze as we rounded the corner and I realised where we were.

"You've brought me to see Rock of Ages?" I threw my arms around him. "Oh my god! I've wanted to see this for ages." I was acting like a teenager, but I didn't give a shit. I was outside the theatre, with Will's arms around my waist. Life was good. I almost squealed as Will lifted me off the ground and gave me a short, but mindblowing kiss.

"Yeah, Casey said that." He put me down and took hold of my hand again. "Come on, it starts in fifteen minutes." We jogged across the road and made our way to the box office where Will picked up our prebooked tickets. We managed to grab a quick drink at the bar, before the usher led us to our seats. Three rows from the stage suited me just fine. I didn't think Will knew I was a secret Shayne Ward fan and he just happened to have returned to the show before it finished its run in London.

*NLF*

The show was brilliant. As a brilliant as a camp musical based around 80s rock can be. Will surprised me completely by knowing the words to every single word or each song. I couldn't help but tease him about it as we walked out of the theatre.

"Hey, I can't help it if that's the music my parents listened to as I was growing up." He poked me. "Hungry?" He took my hand in his after I lit a cigarette.

"I could eat. Let me phone Casey, see if everything's OK." He just nodded and led me along the street by the hand. I pulled my phone out of my bag and dialled.

"I'm not talking to you. Everything's fine, sod off." Casey hung up on me.

"Charming." I muttered. Will laughed at me.

"What did she say?" He laughed even more when I told him. "I guess that means we don't need to rush." He tightened his grip on my hand so that I had no choice but to walk next to him. We walked slowly, me looking at places I hadn't seen properly since I was a teenager, sometimes telling Will about some of the things me and my friends, usually Gwen, had gotten up to.

"You sound like you would have fit in at Interlochen quite well." I grinned, knowing what I did about the "Lost Boys". I wondered if Will had a tattoo too. I didn't really take notes last time I was in any kind of position to see. "What are you thinking?" Could he read my mind?

"Just wondering where your tattoo is." He looked confused.

"Tattoo?"

"The Lost Boys one." He grinned.

"Maybe I'll let you try and find it." He stopped walking and pulled me close to him. "Depends how good you are. Or not." He crushed his mouth to mine fiercely, taking my breath away.

"You are a fucking tease Mr Schmidt." I told him breathlessly once he ended the kiss. He just grinned and carried on walking, this time his arm wrapped around my waist.

*NLF*

I was so used to pub food, that dinner was a treat. Thankfully, he didn't take me to some swanky restaurant where I would have felt as uncomfortable as hell. Instead, he had found a small steakhouse that was tucked away on a small sidestreet. The food was delicious and the beer was cold. Add to that, great company and conversation, it was pretty much a perfect 'date'. Was it a date? I hadn't been 'out' with a guy like this for a long time, so I was unsure of the etiquette so to speak.

"Did you really enjoy the show?" I didn't know why Will sounded so unsure.

"I really did. I loved it. thank you for taking me."

"It was my pleasure, although, I thought you were going to pass out when that guy fell on to the floor next to you." Oh, the delicious Mr Ward...

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting that." But I certainly enjoyed it.

"You suddenly look very flushed." I can't believe i was fangirling over an X Factor contestant while I was sat with Will, who was looking gorgeous.

"Am I? Must be the lighting in here." I took the chance to look around and suddenly saw how romantic the entire setting had become. Couples and candles were everywhere. Will seemed to notice at the same time and looked a little uncomfortable. "How did you find this place?"

"Me and Marty needed a break from editing the other day. He doesn't live far from here and we kinda just stumbled across it."

"Good find. It's hard to find decent places in London anymore." I wanted to ask how long he was staying, but was actually dreading the answer. Yes, Gwen has teased me about the 'no strings' side of whatever was happening between Will and myself, but I was getting used him being around and if I was honest with myself, I was getting a little attached to him, against my better judgement. Only bad could come of thinking along these lines.

*NLF*

It was just getting dark when we walked out of the steak house. I needed to walk a little to rid myself of the slightly bloated feeling.

"Anything else up your sleeve?" I asked Will as he tucked my arm through his so we were walking closely. I was enjoying the time away from the pub and his easy going nature and didn't want to rush back to reality.

"Nothing planned now. how about we just walk for a while." I smiled at him. "I like the glasses by the way. Very geek chic."

"Thanks. I couldn't be arsed to put in my contacts after my shower." He shuddered slightly. "If you're cold, we can go back to the pub."

"I'm not cold. it's just the thought of you in the shower. Brings pretty pictures to mind." I stopped walking and stared at him. "What it's your fault."

"You didn't have to look... or join me did you?"

"My mum always told me not to turn down an invitation." He grinned. "Especially when it's so attractively presented." I felt my face heat up with a blush, but I refused to break eye contact with him. He looked away first which caused me to give myself an internal fistbump. We began walking again. Suddenly, I was being dragged through a doorway where music was being pumped, the bass reverberating through my chest so much I could physically feel it.

"What are you doing?" I yelled into his ear as he paid the door fee.

"I want to dance with you." Feeling his lips brushing my ear as he spoke made me shiver as he guided me down a steep, narrow staircase that were only lit by purple ultraviolet lights. I was petrified that I was going to catch my heel and fall, but Will managed to keep me upright, and when we reached the bottom, kept an arm around my waist as we walked through the immense crowd.

The dancefloor was completely over crowded, so we hovered on the edge and watched the dancers. I couldn't stop my body from moving and was soon dancing on the spot. Will stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, matching my movements. Just as I was getting into dancing with him, the track changed for something a little slower. Usher's "You Make Me Wanna" began playing causing me to roll my eyes at the utter cliche this evening was becoming. I shrugged off the feeling and just settled into the rhythm and beat of the music. Without realising it, I was leaning back against Will who gripped me even tighter around the waist causing our bodies to press against each other, completely flush.

"You got moves." He murmured in my ear as we moved as one. I turned in his arms to face him, shocked to find his light blue eyes the colour of the sky at twilight.

"You're not bad yourself." I felt like a fool, but I started to exaggerate my movements as I rubbed myself up and down his body like a skanky pole dancer.

"Fuck Zoe... " He groaned as I stood up, bringing us face to face. "That is fucking amazing." I grinned, mentally patting myself on the back for garnering this kind of reaction from him. "You're doing this to me on purpose aren't you?"

"Would I do that?" I pressed myself even closer to him, snaking my own arms around his slender waist. I tucked my hands into the back pockets of his jeans which were tight across his arse.

"I think you would..." As the music changed yet again, Will suddenly pulled the glasses gently from my face and put them on before spinning away from me and dancing to what I now recognised as a remix of "Baby Got Back". Soon, I wasn't the only one watching him, women stood cheering him on, appreciating his skill. I couldn't take my eyes off him wearing my glasses. How the hell did he know I had a thing for men in geek glasses? When the song finished, he was surrounded by people congratulating him on his performance. I raised my eyebrow at the sight of two women coming on to him. He grinned at me over their heads before untangling himself and heading over to me, eyes locked on mine.

"Show off." Was all I managed to say before he was kissing me to cheers and catcalls. I forcibly pushed him away from me.

"Sorry, I didn-"

"Shut up and take me home." He didn't need telling twice as he gripped my hand and led the way.

*NLF*

It took all of my self control not to get down on my knees and give him a blow job in the car on the way back to the pub. Will drove like a madman, crunching gears and rushing through changing traffic lights. We soon pulled up outside the pub. Before I could move to get out of the car, Will turned to face me.

"Are you sure about this? I know we've been here before, but..." I don't know why he was suddenly nervous, like he said, we'd been here before.

"Will. I'm sure. I wouldn't still be in the car if I wasn't." As if to prove my point, I leaned over and kissed him hard. "This might sound a bit harsh, but I think it's best said straight. Nothing is going to come of this... whatever between us other than a good time. We don't need to stress. Do we?" I winced at sounding like a bitch, but I was just being honest. If he wanted to walk away, he could and I would go to bed, horny as hell.

"There's nothing wrong with having fun while we can." He grinned at me before turning the engine off and getting out of the car. I'd only just managed to open the door when Will helped me out and pinned me against the car for yet another deep kiss. "Shall we take this inside?" I didn't answer, choosing rather to pull my keys out of my bag and unlock the huge door.

Casey had left the lights on, so Will and I went into the empty lounge. I walked behind the bar and grabbed a bottle of whiskey before sliding two glasses onto the bar and walking round to sit next to Will. I suddenly felt very nervous and wasn't sure why. I watched Will's hands as he poured two large glasses of the golden liquid. He turned his head and looked at me, smiling. I took the glass from him, embarrassed to notice the way my hands shook as I brought the glass to my lips.

I forced a weak smile and then sat the glass back down in front of me, running my finger slowly along the lip of the glass. Heat pulsated through me as Will's hand came to rest on my own, stilling my movements. I looked up into his eyes finding nothing but lust there. It shocked me a little, but ignoring my inner good girl, I put the glass down and leant over to kiss him.

An explosion of whiskey and his meal earlier hit me along with the scent of Will as our tentative kiss deepened. Without breaking away, he slid off his stool and stood in front of me. I moaned at the loss of his lips on my own as he undid my jeans and pulled them down my legs before gently lifted me up onto the solid bar . I shivered as my bare skin touched the cold wood, but I soon forgot as I watched the top of Will's head as he took off my boots allowing him to remove my jeans completely. He looked up at me as her ran his hands up my legs slowly until he reached the top and just stopped. I could have fucking beaten him with a pint glass, then he grinned at me and began moving his hands again. The jolt of shock that ran through me as he stroked my clit oh so softly made me jump slightly.

"More?" He murmured. Before I could answer, he hooked my knees over his shoulders and began to tease my clit with the tip of his tongue.

"Jesus Christ!" I shouted as he began to press harder. I couldn't keep myself upright so let my body lie flat on the bar. As he continued to tease me with his tongue and occasionally his teeth, I felt him slide a finger inside my wetness. I couldn't stop my hips from bucking as I neared orgasm. "I'm gonna..."

"Let go Honey." And I did. I couldn't remember the last an orgasm had me screaming and bucking so much. Will flicked my clit one more time before climbing onto the bar and hovering above me. I looked at him through hooded eyes as my breathing began to slow down. I stifled a slight yawn but he saw it. "No way. I'm not finished yet. I want to make you scream again." He kissed me, allowing me to taste myself on his lips and tongue. He pulled back and removed his trousers and boxers. I watched as he rolled a condom on and before I knew it, he was between my legs and kissing me again. "Ready to scream for me?" He murmured in my ear. I nodded my head once and he slid into me with ease.

I raised my hips off the now warm wood as he began to thrust into me. I moaned as he raised himself up onto his knees, freeing his hands to grab my hips to pull me closer to him and control our speed.

I gripped the edges of the bar as I felt my orgasm building again. I had never come so quickly after already experiencing an orgasm before, so it felt even more intense. Will was slamming into me now and his moans joined mine. His fingers dug into my skin harder and harder until his body stiffened and he yelled out my name as he came with force. He continued to pump into me which allowed me to come again just as he ran out of energy and collapsed on top of me, pinning me to the bar.

"Jesus Christ woman." His words were lost as he fought to catch his breath. "That was..." I was quite proud that I was able to render him speechless.

"It was indeed." Both of us froze at the voice that came from the other side of the pub. _Please God, no. Not him. Anyone but him. _ I was scared to look, but felt Will turn his head.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" He spat at Jackson. I couldn't believe he had walked in on us having amazing sex on the bar of my pub. Wait... what if he'd been here the whole time. I groaned. And can you at least let us get dressed." I saw Jackson out of the corner of my eye turn his back on us, allowing Will to pull out of me to put his trousers back on. He then helped me down and passed me my clothes. I mumbled my thanks and pulled them on before pouring myself another drink.

"Nice jeans, but you look better without them." Jackson smirked at me. I didn't respond just looked at him. I felt like a bitch. I had just had amazing sex with Will who was stood with his arm placed around my waist, yet I was basking in the gaze Jackson was placing me under.

"You didn't answer my question. What are you fucking doing here? The pub's closed." Will was almost shaking with anger.

"Woah, calm down stud. As I rushed over here to try and sort things out with best friend, I kind of left myself with nowhere to stay. casey let me use her room in the apartment upstairs." _I was going to kill Casey. _ "I was just falling asleep when I heard yelling. How was I to know that you were getting lucky with an honest to God Playboy Bunny." The shock at what he called me made me choke on my whiskey. Will patted me on the back until I was able to breathe again.

"What did you call me?" I sat down on the bar stool, extremely aware that Jackson had most likely seen my arse, if not more.

"Like I could forget that outfit and the woman in it." There was nothing pervy about the way he spoke. While Will seemed to get more and more pissed off, I found myself getting more and turned on.

"Dude... seriously?" Will's voice shook with anger. I took hold of his hand and squeezed it to calm him down. "Are you coming onto my woman while yours is God knows how many miles away looking after your son?" Because Jackson never broke eye contact with me, I saw the flash of hurt that flitted across them. Then what Will had said registered.

"Your woman?" I kept my voice even, but surely he remembered the conversation we'd had earlier. "Since when?" He had the good grace to look ashamed. I let go of his hand and stood up. "I'm tired and there's too much testosterone flying around in here. I'm going to bed." Both men looked at me. "Alone. Will, you better go." I was sad at the thought of him leaving, but I couldn't cope with this tonight. He nodded. I looked at Jackson. "And you. Better find yourself a hotel or something tomorrow. I'll let you stay in Casey's room tonight, but that is exactly where you stay."

"Yes ma'am." He saluted me before heading back upstairs. I walked Will to the door.

"Sorry about that. What a way to ruin was was slowly becoming a pretty perfect night." Will spoke softly.

"It wasn't your fault."

"But?" I smiled.

"But, I thought we agreed there was nothing serious going on here. Why the peacock show for Jackson?" I leant up against the door watching him.

"It's instinctive I guess. I mean, he's Jackson Rathbone. Cause of many a woman's wet dreams. Yours included no doubt." I opened my mouth to challenge that statement. "Wait. I saw how you looked at him, and I knew you were a Jay girl,still are if your Facebook is anything to go by."

"That's called fantasy land. You really thought I used to sit behind a fake profile and plan how I was going to snag him? I'm a realist. I talk the talk and walk the walk online, but at the end of the day, I know who I am. Know this thing between us. We both know it's temporary and will be done with as soon as you go back to LA. Why can't we just enjoy it for what it is?"

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry." He kissed me gently. "You're wrong though." I raised an eyebrow. "I also saw the way he looked at you, and not just tonight. If he could, he would." He pulled his keys out of his pocket and walked towards his car. "I'll call you soon."

*NLF*

I took a deep breath and let myself into the flat. What a night. If I'd had that reaction the last time I was in the presence of Jackson, I'd have been the happiest person who had ever logged into twitter. Now, I was just confused. I locked the door and went into the kitchen to make a drink.

"He didn't talk his way upstairs?" I jumped a mile in the air as I realised Jackson was sat in the dark, smoking a cigarette.

"Jesus Christ. Creeper much? And no, he didn't. I told you, I'm going to bed alone. I just want a drink and a smoke first." I lit my own cigarette as I sipped my scalding hot tea.

"So, you made him leave when he was still horny as hell?" He chuckled. I rolled my eyes.

"You know, as well as I do that horny was one thing he was not."

"True, you certainly scratched that itch. So why did you give him hell for calling you his woman?" I walked out of the kitchen before turning round.

"If you want a bed for the night, I suggest you mind your own business. Particularly as, like Will said, you have a family back home."

"Just goes to show what he knows then doesn't it." I nearly turned round, but forced myself to go into my room, his words ringing in my ears.

**Peeks from behind the sofa... thoughts?**


End file.
